A Battle of Brains by Barbara Cartland

Author:Barbara Cartland
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 978-1-908411-10-5
Publisher: Barbara Cartland.com

CHAPTER FIVE

Two weeks later everything was different.

Yolanda had won her battle.

She no longer shuddered when a young man put his arm around her waist to dance and she could now accept a compliment without feeling shy.

She was an undoubted success.

Hostesses, who had paid no attention to her at first, fell over themselves to invite her to parties.

Everyone was talking about her.

As her stepfather had so astutely predicted, she was undoubtedly ‘the belle of the ball’.

There was only one somewhat unfortunate incident during the first week.

She had gone to a rather bigger dance than she had attended before and there was a garden at the back of the house.

She danced twice, or perhaps it was three times, with a young man who had interested her.

He had been in the Royal Navy and was telling her about the recent modern improvements that had been made to the ship in which he was serving.

It was very warm and when the dance finished, they went into the garden to sit under a tree where it was cool.

Mr. Garrack was sitting in the drawing room when Yolanda came running up to him.

“I want to go home,” she told him breathlessly.

He looked at her in surprise.

Then without asking her any questions, he replied,

“Of course, Yolanda, if that is what you want.”

She hurried down the stairs in front of him and they waited without speaking until their carriage was brought to the door.

Only when they drove off, did Mr. Garrack ask,

“What has happened? What has upset you?”

For a moment he thought Yolanda was not going to reply and then she murmured,

“The man I was dancing with asked me to marry him.”

There was a short pause, before he commented,

“Yolanda, I suppose you realise that is the greatest compliment you can be paid and the most expensive one.”

He paused to smile at her before continuing,

“After all, the gentleman in question is taking you ‘for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, until death do us part’. By that time you may be sightless, toothless and extremely irritable. No man could offer you more!”

For a moment there was silence and then Yolanda began to laugh.

As her stepfather laughed too, she moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder.

“You are quite right, Step-papa. I am a fool, but he took me by surprise, so I ran away.”

“He will certainly not think you are running after him,” Mr. Garrack remarked dryly.

Yolanda laughed again.

“I just don’t know why I am so stupid, but I am no longer as frightened as I was.”

“I do realise that, Yolanda, but I think that now you are such an overwhelming success, you will think as I do that it is silly to worry about anything in the past. After all what is done is done and cannot be altered. It is tomorrow that is important.”

“Of course it is,” agreed Yolanda, “and you must forgive me for behaving so badly.”

“It was getting late anyway and as I have to be in my office early tomorrow morning, I am actually delighted to be going home to bed.

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